CHAPTER_TWO
Crammed between an internet cafe and a computer store, the wood-and-brick storefront of Scary's Antiques seemed ancient. And to some degree, it was. Despite the city's transformation into a metropolis of glass and steel, the store remained the same through all the changes. A handpainted sign hung over the door. In the windows, old phonographs and pieces of furnitures waited for a buyer.
Scar pushed open the door to the store. A tarnished brass bell rang. Inside, the store smelled like dust and aging upholstery. Numerous lamps dotted the dim space, filling the store with a pale gold light. Scar weaved her way through furniture, stacks of books, and several statues to reach the back of the store. She passed her reflection several times- a fair-skin woman with long, curly brown hair.
No one stood at the old mahogany counter. Scar looked around.
"Hello?" She called. No one answered. The building creaked around her. "Anyone around?"
Scar peered into the back. Down a small hallway, the gray light of the outside shone through a partially-opened door. Scar would have waited, but she had to be at rehearsal in less than half an hour. Scar skirted around the counter and went into the back. Pushing through the door, Scar found herself in an alleyway behind the building, standing on a loading dock.
Scar recognized Scary standing on the edge of the loading dock, his hands on his hips. He spoke to a young woman holding a docile, albeit confused-looking, mallard.
"Remember, you've got to feed him daily, and he needs a place to swim. Taking him to the park would be best, but if you can't, give him some time in the bathtub." Scary said, "Just send me your payment by the end of the week."
The young woman nodded, and said, "Will do. Thanks, Scary."
"No problem. See you," Scary said. The woman disappeared down the alleyway with her newly-acquired duck. Scary turned around and nearly bumped into Scar. "Oh! Hey, Scar. What's up?"
"Nothing much, how are you, Scary?"
"Doing fine," Scary said. He made his way to the back door, holding it open for Scar. "Is this a personal visit or business?"
"Business," Scar said. She looked at the rapidly shrinking figure moving down the alleyway. "And that was...?"
"Also business," Scary said. The went inside and Scar resumed her position on the other side of the counter while Scary moved some papers away. "What is it you're looking for?"
"We're doing a show down at the theatre, and we were hoping to acquire some furniture that would fit the period. To dress the set, you know," Scar said. She brushed some hair out of her face, leaning against the counter.
"When is it set?" Scary asked. He took out a pen and began writing on a stray scrap of yellowed paper.
"Early 1800's."
"Are you looking for authentic stuff, or...?"
"No, no, just stuff that
looks like it's from around 1810, 1820."
"I'll see what I can dig up," Scary said. He finished scribbling and looked up at her, "I'll give you a call when I've got all my pieces together, and you can come take a look."
"Thanks, Scary."
"No problem," Scary said as Scar turned to leave, "Mind if I ask what show you're doing?"
"We're doing an adaptation of a book."
"Which?"
"Frankenstein."
>accessing metro_camD-3856
>running facial recognition...
>match found
Scar stood by the door of the subway car, waiting for it to reach the station. The gray concrete walls of the metro tunnels flashed by. Beside Scar, a short, red-haired woman sat in a seat, her eyes locked on the tablet in her lap. The woman scowled at the screen.
"You look very intent, Rain." Scar said.
The woman looked up from her tablet. "Hello, Scar. And I suppose I was, yes."
"Serious stuff?" Scar asked.
"Not particularly. I just got an e-mail from Tiny. She says we need to hire more help for the cafe." Rain said with a sigh, "The colder it gets, the more folks we have coming in. Good for business, but bad for the staff."
"I understand. I'm sure you'll find help. It seems like a cool place," Scar said. She adjusted her grip on the metal bar above her head. The metro rumbled around her.
"Thanks. It shouldn't be too difficult. It's just tedious hiring people. You should come by sometime."
"What, to apply?" Scar asked with a smirk.
"Of course,
the pay is beyond measure," Rain said, smiling. "No, you dope.
For some hot drinks. You haven't been yet."
Scar squirmed inside. This was true. She didn't know why- it was right next to Scary's store, so it's not like it was a far trip or anything. Scar just preferred different sorts of coffee places- the kind with wooden floors, fireplaces, and deep, soft chairs. Tiny and Rain's cafe was a modern mecha for tech-heads looking for a caffeine fix. Employees from WishTech and other nearby tech companies made up a large part of the cafe's clientele.
"I guess you're right," Scar said, looking at her shoes, "I'll come by sometime this week."
"And we'll be happy to serve you," Rain said with a smile.
"Glad to hear it," Scar said.
"Now arriving at River Street Station," said ISAAC's voice over the intercom. Passengers stood, preparing to get off. The subway slowed to a halt at the platform.
"This is my stop. Bye Rain," Scar said. She turned and waited for the doors to open. They did not. The crowded subway car began to fill with murmurs.
The murmurs turned to gasps and confused cries as the lights in the car switched off. For a moment, Scar floated in complete darkness. After a few seconds, the red emergency lights came on, filling the car with sanguine light.
"What's going on?" Rain asked, looking around. She exchanged a glance with Scar, who shrugged.
"Emergency," ISAAC's voice said, cutting through the voices in the car. "Emergency. Do not disembark."
Scar looked around. The subway car seemed fine. Outside on the platform, commuters stood waiting for the doors to open so they could pile in. The door remained shut. Scar peered through the windows, and saw that every other car attached to Scar and Rain's emptied themselves as their doors opened and passengers flowed out onto the platform.
"'Scuse me, everyone!" A voice said. Scar turned and saw the crowd parting to let a man in a blue shirt and orange vest through. His head was a mess of black curls. An employee for the city's metro. "Our apologies. Something's wrong with the door, we think."
Scar stepped aside to let the worker reach the door. She watched as he reached for a red handle marked, "MANUAL OVERRIDE."
"Emergency," ISAAC said, his voice coming from the speaker above the door, "Do not disembark. Do not disembark. Do not disembark."
The AI repeated himself until the worker pulled the door open. People left the car in a hurry, all of them seemingly late for something. Scar did the same.
Once Scar was on the platform, she stopped and looked at the train car again. The doors slid closed and the lights switched back on. Scar saw Rain through the window, who waved goodbye as the subway pulled out of the station. Scar spun on her heel and took the stairs up to the street. She was late for rehearsal.
> . . .
Darksight crouched on the floor of the subway car, wrestling with the wires beneath the train's controls. After the snafu at River Street Station, the train kept doing the same thing all the way down the line, with car four going into emergency mode and the doors not opening.
So after asking everyone to get off (which resulted in a lot of angry commuters), they pulled the train off the line and brought onto a section of rail reserved for trains in need of maintenance. Now Darksight was stuck working overtime, trying to get the darn thing back in working order.
The system wasn't totally messed up, though, Darksight noted. ISAAC had at least managed to do his job and open the doors at the Platinum Drive Station, by the WishTech building.
> accessing citizen information
> address found
> altering security protocol...
Rain stood in front of her apartment, exhausted. She had ended up walking the rest of the way home. The subway kept breaking down, so she gave up and got off at the Platinum Drive Station. The walk was long, and made worse by the cold afternoon. All she wanted to do was lie down.
Rain pressed her thumb against the scanner and waited for the door to open. The light on the door flashed red. Access denied.
"What the...?" Rain said under her breath. She tried again. Still no luck. "Come on you stupid piece of..."
After trying three more times, Rain sighed and pressed her head against the cold metal of the door. What she wouldn't do for an apartment that used normal keys. When she got the place, she thought that the whole fingerprint identification thing was so great, but now?
Rain looked around, wondering what to do. The cold of autumn was beginning to creep into her skin. She needed to get inside. Then she could call maintenance and have them come fix her scanner.
Turning to walk down the breezeway, Rain knew where to go.
> . . .
DFW looked up from her computer when she heard the knock at the door. Setting her drawing tablet's pen down, she stood and walked out of the office and to the front hall. The knock came again. DFW pressed the "open" button beside the door.
The door slid away and there stood a woman with dark, windblown hair. She looked irritated and tired.
"Long time no see, Rain."
> . . .
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AN:// Well, that's it for chapter two. Tiny and Lav, I'll happily have ya'll aboard :P Question though, Lav. Do I refer to your character as L.AVI, Lav, L? Just let me know, so I can write your character properly. Anyhow, hope you guys like it. Cheers!
